Saturday, March 30, 2013

Well, I got the edict from my client that the animals, while for a children's product, should look more realized and realistic, rather than fluidly cartoony. So much for the Hirschfeld inspiration. Still it makes it somewhat easier for me as I don't need to invent a new rendering style. I think.

That was the title of the excellent Diana Vreeland documentary that I finally got to see tonight at dinner with my friends in the UWS, and the reason I'm late in posting this (we were watching until about 11:30 and by the time I got through train delays, it was well after midnight when I got home). In any case, one of the made pronouncements Mrs.Vreeland made was about rouge, and how she loved to apply it from cheek to ear. I wondered if she meant up to her ear, or including her ear. So I decided to sketch it out. Leaving it at the ear made it just too 70s (especially in this sketch) but I dunno if this is quite as updated as I can make it look. In any case it's my sketch for yesterday.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Trying for a more stylized elephant. Was at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre to see a musical tonight, and Hirschfeld's drawings were all over the venue, with his fabulous flowing curves everywhere, and I resolved to make my sketches more stylized. And there's something about sketching on paper that makes it just easier to get a nice flow. Unfortunately my friend didn't really get them, and wanted them to be a bit more straightforward. Thankfully they were only thumbnail sketches!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

We thought a camel would allow more opportunities for decorative embellishments. Besides, a giraffe might be difficult to keep in scale... but I can't recall ever drawing a camel with any detail if at all, so I'm fighting my tendencies to render them more realistically, and find a way to stylize it so it would work in a fun carousel setting.

Monday, March 25, 2013

I abandoned the bride and groom standing separately, and made them kiss. I think there's much more to this version.... although I think I need ot put the groom a bit closer to the bride, lol.

I based the style on the illustrations of an old cookbook I found about 15 years ago, one that was originally published in 1949. I used it for inspiration and this pose was actually part of a drawing of wedding cake that I expanded on (the figures on the cake were kissing, but you couldn't see it at all, it was so abstract).

Sunday, March 24, 2013

I just decided on making a rather lively rhino (which normally aren't so much) for this carousel thing I'm drawing for... I think it's rather silly good. But maybe right now it's more of a cartoon and less of a decorative object. Might need to stylize it down... or maybe even up.

Drawing animals for a carousel themed product. I'm not really getting a feel for it yet. I tried to draw a zebra but it ended up looking more like a striped horse. As much as they're similar, they do have pronounced different feels. Gotta do my research...

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

I've been commissioned to draw, among other things, a bride and groom/groom and groom/ bride and bride for a new product line. But a friend asked me out for a drink tonight, and it's never just one as they offer, and two frozen margaritas later, I'm still unable to make a concerted drawing effort. Still, I think this looks like the 50s style I'm aiming for... at least in this sketch form.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

In the thick of designing logos for a presentation tomorrow, I've been trying to draw different motifs, and one of them is a graphic ribbon. I don't know if this quite qualifies as a drawing, but I HAVE posted such motifs before... and it IS hand-done. I guess it qualifies.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

One of my favorite clothing items is Rick Owens jacket I bought on the spur of the moment at Barneys, but in a size too big. When I met with my friend Robbie to see if he thought it didn't fit me right, I ended up switching my Small for his Medium. Part of my love for this jacket owes to the fact that it was once my friend's, making it more personal. I also love it because it has a dramatic hood that becomes a huge, high collar when worn down.

Friday, March 15, 2013

I sketched him in a very nondescript way last season, but after I got to be more aware of him, I began to get a lot more into his look. Very much like a Schiele drawing come to life, I kinda want to do lots of drawings of him from the recent Fall shows. This is just the initil thumbnail and color block for a new one.

Having adjusted too well it seemed to not drawing every day for a week, I completely forgot to draw last night, and only remembered (despite not doing anything that important beyond watching Project Runway reruns) over an hour after midnight last night. So this is a makeup drawing. And I kinda like it. I'm inspired by newer watercolor artists who post a lot on Tumblr and the like.. I'm a little hard edged and more than a bit retro-influenced, and they bring a softness and a freshness that I'd like to apply to my own work, to see how it incorporates. Speaking of softness, I also remembered how much fun it can be to do soft core porn. Although I haven't figured out exactly how I want to do that hand...

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

My backup hard drive failed today, which is making me think about security considering I just got my Mac back to working, which is making me draw things that aren't defined or necessarily going to be anything more than a rough doddle. Oy, I will be glad when Mercury Retrograde is over.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

My Mac apps are still buggy - haven't brought everything back to working order. So in honor of the bugginess I decided to draw a bug.Well, a drawing of a bug, from a postcard I had on hand from my recent desktop (my physical one) cleanup (while the mac was away - my apartment is the cleanest it's been in a while!).

Monday, March 11, 2013

Got my iMac back after nearly a week, and now I'm reinstalling my programs, resetting my preferences, and trying to get back to normal. Pardon how we look while we refurbish! And meanwhile, have a duck in a bra. I might have had Maggie Thatcher on my mind (one of the many movies I caught up on while I was 'net free was The Iron Lady), because she might wear a bra like this one (well, if she were a duck).

I decided that I had to inject some humor and character into the drawing - couldn't just leave it as some decorative thing -- so not me. It wasn't very me to start, with in the end I couldn't go through with just doing something that wasn't me entirely, even if it was a gift. So I added more decor and some silly birds.

Monday, March 4, 2013

My iMac is nearly dead. It revived today after I brought it to a nearby Mac repair shop, and the technician advised I go back up as much as I can before it completely failed. So I planned on sketching while I was going to wait at Tekserve, instead I have spent much of today backing things up by dragging and dropping, so as not to tax the system to the point tat it shuts down before I get anything done. And in the meantime, I'm sketching on paper. Won't be able to upload til later, hopefully soon, though. (soon turned out to be March 12!)

Sunday, March 3, 2013

My neighbors just had a baby girl a few days ago, and a few months back when I visited their newly-constructed nursery, I noticed they had a lot of ethnic decor and a lot of elephant motifs (the father collects elephants). So as a New Parents gift, I thought I'd make a little watercolor painting of an elephant for them. This is my sketch of what I saw in my head, so I have a template when I do it in actual watercolor tomorrow.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

I was so busy watching Project Runway (I always watch it online a day after telecast since I don't have cable) that I forgot to sketch an ACTUAL runway sketch in time to make it for Friday's entry. So here it is, a few minutes after midnight and it says Saturday but this is Friday's.

Draw The Line

Busy New York life tends to get in the way of my drawing. But not anymore. Every single day since January 1, 2007, I have done and will try to do a drawing, - a sketch, a doodle, a masterpiece, SOMEthing - and post it here.